This is serious. The World Cup cometh, and the United Kingdom is running out of beer.
The UK emits over one million tons of CO2 each day but bottles of flood-drought-n-coral-killing CO2 are in short supply.
Trade journal Gas World, which first revealed there was a problem last week, said it was the “worst supply situation to hit the European carbon dioxide business in decades”.
Carbon capture is the way of the future, which is a shame. If it worked now, people wouldn’t be running out of beer, bacon, coke and even crumpets.
We spend billions to take pollution out of the sky and stuff it into deep holes. Then we pay people to generate the same pollution and put it in our food. Someone, join the dots. Cut out the middle man and move Heineken next to Drax!
Bottles of pollution are used to make beer and fizzy drinks, they’re used in abattoirs, and they’re used to make dry ice, to keep food fresh.
Tesco-owned Booker, a big supplier to restaurants and bars, has started rationing customers to ten cases of beer. And Ei Group, Britain’s biggest pub operator, said some beer brands were in short supply or not available.
Scotland’s biggest abattoir – which handles 6,000 pigs a week – has temporarily closed, with animals being sent to England for slaughter. But that is only a temporary solution, as these abattoirs, too, are also low on carbon dioxide.
At least five CO2 producers in northern Europe are offline for maintenance, according to the publication Gasworld.
Seasonal maintenance shutdowns have left the UK with only one big CO2 producer in action.
BMPA deputy-director Fiona Steiger said: “Supply is running out and it’s pretty tight for some people.
“We don’t know when supplies will be back up. We’ve been told it could be about a month.”
I’m sure Australia can air freight some Carlton Draught in this time of need. Otherwise people will just have to drink ale, cider and wine.